Automatic air-escape valve.



C. LAUTERBACH. AUTOMATIC 'AIR ESCAPE VALVE. 'APPLIUATION FILED APR. 15, 1912.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

Ill'I WTIVESSES prima y CHRISTOPHER LAUTERBACH, yor BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC AIR-ESCAPE VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

i Application filed April 15, 1912. Serial No. 691,023.

Patented sept. 1e, rais.

" TJ all whom, t may concern:

. Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER Lau- 'rn'neAoi-I, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Air-Escape Valves, of which the following is a specification i l `-This-invention is in the nature of an air escape valve for vapor-heating apparatus. .The object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic device of this character whereby v,the escape of air from, and the receipt of vapor by, all of the radiators of a system or apparatus, and temperatures in the radiators, will be automatically .controlled, by the rise and fall of t-hetemperature of the outside atmosphere. In an ordinary system the valve will be placed in the return line, at a pointnear the boiler.

' With these and other objects'iii view, the

invention consists inthe improved construction, ,arrangement and combination ot parts hereinafter 'fully described' and afterward specifically claimed.

In order that the construction and operation of my, invention may be readily coinprehended, I will now proceed to describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawing which represents a-central, vertical, sectional view of an approved embodiment'of the invention, part of the structure being broken away and parts sho-wii in elevation.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 1.

indicates the bottom casting whichis substantially cylindrical and hollow, the lower Kend vbeing contracted in diameter and eX- te'rnally threaded as at 2 to t the 'thread of 'a pipe or coupling projecting from a radiator, lin a well known manner. Near the upper end thereof the casting is provided with a transverse diaphragm 3 in which are ports et, and the extreme upper end is interiorly threaded, as'at 5,to receive the lower, eXt-eriorly threaded end of a hollow =cylindrical shell raxiup'wardly extending lug 7 projecting-centrally from the to'p cen- 'ter of the diaphragmr 8, upon which lug is ,seated a hollow cylindrical supporting post 8. Threaded upon the upper enteric ly threaded end of the shell` 6 is the top casting 9 which is substantially cylindrical and i exteriorly threaded' at `upper end to'receive an interiorly threaded adjusting cap 10. 'This ,top casting is provided with a .ransverse diaphragm 9 having a central threaded opening to receive a hd low exteri'oily threaded adjusting pliigil. The

two ends of the hollow adjusting plugll are shaped as valve seats, the lower one to receive and co-act with the upper conical tip 12 of a hollow bell float 13 which-is supported upon the upper end ot' the supporting post 8 and is of a diameter tolleave a space 14 in the shell 6 all around said float.` 'lhe upper valve seat of the adjusting plug 11 is intended, under circumstances hereinafter described, to receive and co-act with theconical lower center 15 of a disk 1G, the conical edge 17 of which co-acts with a valve seat 18 formed in the Aupper end of the top casting 9, the disk 16,4adapted to seat on the plug 11 when the plug is adjustedV to a sutlicient height to hold the disk 16 above the valve seat 18. This diskis provided in its top center with an upwardly eX- tending socket 19 to receive a centering screw 20 threaded through the center oi' the top of the adjusting` cap 10. Port holes 21 extend through the top of the adjusting cap 10 around the centering screw 20. The bell 'gage `will record this pressure. With this air escape, however, this increase of pressure' does not take place, `At the slightest increase of volume of water, the ainouiit of air representing that increase is discharged through the air 'escape by way of the ports 4 passing around the float 13, raisingr the disk 16 and thence through the ports 21, to the atmosphere. Upon the contraction ol the medium wit-hin the system `there is a partial vacuum produced in the apparatus and the water in the boiler boils at a teinperature Vbelow 212 degrees. The air escaping through the air4 escape contiiiuesif the .fire in the boiler is `maintained. until the entire apparatus is hot, which is done without the pressure gage pointer moving from the O or Zero mark, or without the water in the boiler going above 212 degrees temperature. If at this stage the fire in the boiler gets tooy low to maintain the temperature of the water at 212 degrees, a vacuum is formed in the apparatus and the atmospheric pressure is exerted downwardly u pon the disk 16, pressing it down upon its seat and thereby preventing air from passing into the apparatus. Wvhen all the air in the apparatus has beendischarged through the air escape and all the radiators and" pipes are hot, and the fire is sufficiently strong to generate more-vapor t-han the radiators and pipes will condense, steam is formed and this, when it reaches a pressureiof one-half pound, passes through the ports 4 and up under the float 13, raising the float and closing the hollow plug 11, preventing any further egress and allowing the steam to be raised to any desired pressure. This is owing to the fact that the -po'rts 4, are larger than the ports 21. This, however, happens only when the entire apparatus is hot in the early fall and late spring, when only a low degree of heat is required in the rooms or house, to maintain the desiredV internal temperature, usually about 70 degrees, the air and currents in the smoke flue create a slight vacuum in the smoke pipe, just enough to draw the neces sary amount' of air through the cracks around the ash pit and draft doors, (these "doors and the damper in the smoke remaining closed as long as coal is being used as fuel), 'to have a fire only hot enough to generate a small amount of vapor in the boiler. This, while generating, discharges its equivalent volume of air -through the air escape to the atmosphere. This small amount of vapor, on account. of the' general construction of the apparatus, passes to the radiator farthest away from the boiler, as well as to those nearest to it, heating all to a uniform temperature and consequently all the' rooms to the same temperature. The escape of air' responding to the slightest pressure in the apparatus, responds at once when the temperature of the outside air gets lower and affects the velocity of the air currentsin the smoke flue, increasing` the partial vacuum in the smoke pipe, and that in turn increasing the velocity and volumeI o1'l air passing through the cracks oit the ash pit and draft doors, thereby generating more vapor, which, being lighter in weight than the air in the apparatus, sce-ks a higher level, until eventually the air escape valve is aitfccted.

The radiators may only be warm across the top, (sometimes with temperature as low as 7 5 to 80 degrees), or hot, or one quarter, or one-half, three quarters or wholly hot, depending entirely on the amount of air discharged through vthe air escape. With this discharge of air through` the air escape, and just the necessary amount of vapor-Jheing generated in the boiler, to heat the rooms to the desired temperature, it becomes entirely unnecessary to open or close any of the radiator valves, to regulate to proper amount l'of heat in the room or rooms.

On account oi. the.instant response of the air escape to the slightest internal pressure, the heat responds to the variations in the outside temperatures, generating by the in- 'crease or decrease of the heatof the lire in the boiler, more or less vapor, or always sufficient vapor to maintain the desired temperatures in the rooms. There may be one, two, three or more of these air escapes lo-l cated on the return lines of the vapor heating apparatus not shown in the drawings. lf more than one, then those located farthest from the boiler have' the lightest disk 16, and those closer to or at the' boiler, have the heavier disk 1G. This is done to have th radiators farthest from the boiler relieved of the air, and to have them receive the vapor at the same time that those ell-ser to the boiler get it..

Having thus fully described my invention, what I .claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

An air escape valve providing a hollow cylindrical shell, a bottom .hollow casting secured thereon, a diaphragm in said casting and provided with ports to admit air into said shell, a supporting post' on said diaphragm, a hollow bell float adapted to normally rest on said post, a conical tip on the upper end of said tloata top casting secured on said shell having a valve seat in the upper end thereof, a diaphragm in said top castillal a hollow plug threaded in said diaphragm for adjustment, valve seats being formed at adapted toV co-aet with the conical tip on the float, an adjusting cap secured on the upper end of said top casting, a disk between said cap and top casting, said disk having conical faces one adapted to co-act with the uppervalve seat of said plug, and the other to eoaet with the valve seat in said top casting, and a centering screw secured in said cap adapted to adjust said disk.

-In testimony whereof I aix my signature in .presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER -L AUTERBACH.

lVitnesses i E. WAn'roN BaeivlNG'roN MARY M. MAenAw. 

